Company description

At Working Theory Farm, our mission is to empower youth through the shared work of farming to grow food for partner organizations who distribute this food to families in need. We provide employment, mentorship, and educational opportunities to underserved youth in Washington County by growing vegetables and raising livestock on our no-till organic farm. We work with youth who are or have been unsupported by traditional systems, primarily representing populations impacted by the juvenile justice system, that are experiencing or have previously experienced homelessness or housing instability, and/or have been impacted by food insecurity or poverty. Both the youth we serve and the community members we feed are primarily Latino.

Youth are on the farm nearly every week of the year with different cohorts in the Spring, Summer, and Fall alongside leadership roles like Crew Leads and an Operations Crew. Our goal with all of these youth is to provide positive relationships with caring adults and teach the lessons that farming is so good at teaching -- creativity, problem solving, awareness, personal and social responsibility, resilience, and collaboration, to name a few.

We strive to build a safe and supportive work environment for everyone employed here on the farm. We are committed to justice, equity, and accountability and building an organization where we live these values. Our programming is focused on uplifting youth and feeding community members who are facing injustice.

In order to carry out this mission, our small team is in need of a supporting adult staff member during the height of our season to support youth crew programming and facilitation. At the heart of the mission is the connection that comes from doing the hard work on land together with young people, as co-workers, community members, and caring humans to tend the land and sustain change in ourselves, in our communities, and in the larger food systems of Washington County.

We encourage people who have been impacted by systems and structures of violence and land dispossession in our community to apply. We recognize this includes Indigenous people who have had their ancestral lands stolen from them and lifeways forcibly repressed, Black people who have been removed from land, criminalized, and prevented from land access and ownership, people who or whose families have faced violence or exploitation in commercial agriculture or labor systems, people who or whose families have had to cross borders and face criminalization for it, and people who have been impacted by the carceral system and been punitively removed from their home families and communities.

Even if you feel like you may not meet all the position qualifications, we strongly encourage you to apply if you feel alignment with our values and mission.

Job description

This job is SEASONAL, June-September.
3 days a week, ~5 hours a day.
$20/hr

Description of day-to-day work :

• Supporting our youth programming by acting as a mentor, facilitator, advocate, teacher, collaborator, and task leader to crews of youth ages 14-24.
• Facilitating youth programming, workshops, and conversations among youth and adults. The farm crew facilitator will have opportunities during the season to both co-facilitate and independently facilitate groups of youth.
• Supporting all facilitator staff by participating in group staffing, peer supervision, and ongoing feedback and training opportunities
• Contributing to regular notes and record-keeping.
• Supporting all aspects of vegetable and fruit production -- seeding flats and direct seeding, transplanting, pruning, weeding, harvest, trellising, wash/pack, and more—and leading and supporting youth through that work.
• Ensure safe working conditions, including securing CPR/First Aid certification within the first two months of employment (paid for by WTF).
• Performing other tasks as needed or directed to by their supervisor.

Physical Requirements and Environmental Considerations

• Ability to repeatedly lift and carry 50lbs over short distances, walk over rough ground, bend at the waist, and squat repeatedly throughout the course of a full workday (5-6 hours). Emphasis on “repeatedly”. Each employee is encouraged to listen to and take care of their bodies as needed - for example taking water and stretch breaks. However the unavoidable reality of farming is that it’s very physically demanding work.
• Willingness and ability to work in all weather conditions -- through rain and cold in the spring and fall, and in hot weather in the summer.

Skills and Experience (what we’re looking for from all candidates):

• Strong verbal and interpersonal communication skills
• Experience working with youth, ages 14-24, particularly in outdoor or experiential spaces
• Comfort working both interpersonally and independently
• Compassionate, hardworking, motivated, flexible
• Strong resonance with our mission, program, and values

Skills and Experience Could Include: (We don’t expect you to have all of these experiences. Anything on this list will catch our eye):

• Bilingual: English/Spanish strongly preferred.
• Experience working with systemically underserved populations or populations that face structural and interpersonal violence
• Experience in social services, education, trauma-informed care, or other forms of youth work
• Experience in crisis intervention, de-escalation, and conflict resolution
• Experience in restorative or transformative justice practices and processes
• Life experience or family experience reflective of the youth and communities we serve
• Experience as a farmer, landworker, or with plants and animals.

Compensation

this position is: hourly, $15-20/hr

Application instructions

Deadline

May 17, 2024